Thursday, December 27, 2012

I'm sort of the new person on the blog. I'm Daniel. I'm a roleplayer for Roger, which I helped with the interview post as the character. I also am a writer, and am kind of skilled with things such as cartoon writing. My favorite Toons are Roger, Oswald and Bugs, for rabbits, but others include Daffy, Jessica and Horace Horsecollar. My first post is about my fandom of Roger and the world of Toontown in general.

My story of the Roger fandom started when I was 4. I got a tape of The Best of Roger Rabbit, which featured the 3 shorts Tummy Trouble, Roller Coaster Rabbit and Trail Mix-up. I had to say, I loved them. Roger, of course, was the best part. But when I was 6, I finally saw the movie, and it scared me. But, 2 years later, I found a whole site of Roger stuff, and I became a fan. That same year, I got the 20th anniversary DVD. It was my first DVD ever, and I loved it. The film was much better and less scarier than I remembered, and it gave me a good feeling of happiness, which I had not felt since I saw movies and other cartoons before it, like the Looney Tunes shorts and the Mickey Mouse and Disney movies. My dream, however, was to one day visit Disneyland's Mickey's Toontown and see the sights that the movie brought us into the park. But, when I went to Disney World, I saw Mickey's Toontown Fair. It closed down in 2011, and is now a new part of Fantasyland. I never forgot anything about it. But, I never got the one thing I wanted, a chance to interact with the character. When I became 16, I found out about a mailing service where you can send a letter to a Disney character, and you got a signed photo back. My first choice was, of course, the Rabbit from Toontown himself, Roger.

Of course, more recently, I became engaged, and our honeymoon will be taking me to Disneyland and Toontown. But, this Christmas, I got the one thing I had wanted. A Roger Rabbit doll.

That is my experience with the world of Toontown and Roger and Jessica.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Well, it seems we’re finally getting a release date for this much-awaited Blu-ray: some little bird shared with me the following link, in which we learn “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” will get its Blu-ray release on March 12, 2013 (of course, if mayan prophecies let us live for that, huh-huh!) and it will get basically the same extras already loaded on the Vista Series DVD release.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

It seems Roger Rabbit is on the news again! Now I found some info from two different sources (here and there), which tell us that Gary K. Wolf, the very-well-known creator of Roger Rabbit, Toontown and the prolific pen holder behind “Who Censored Roger Rabbit?” and “Who P-p-p-plugged Roger Rabbit?”, is releasing a new novel named “Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?” thru Musa Publishing, an independent digital publisher (which means the next novel will be an e-book).

Here’s a quick synopsis of it:

The novel reunites all the old fan favorites—Eddie Valiant, his fuzzy sidekick Roger Rabbit, Baby Herman, and Roger’s va-va-voom mate Jessica, who continue their madcap human and Toonian adventures. This time, Eddie is hired to bodyguard for Gary Cooper and Roger Rabbit, the stars of a new movie that’s been receiving dire threats—shut down the film or else.

As with the previous novels, we’re expecting a whole load of wacky antics, elaborated puns and a well-written story with some twists and unexpected surprises. I’ve already read “Who Censored Roger Rabbit?” and although I got “Who P-p-p-plugged Roger Rabbit?” as an e-book, haven’t read it yet. After knowing about this new novel, maybe I should ;)

UPDATE: Here’s the press release about this new novel, in Gary Wolf’s own website:

Friday, November 30, 2012

Robert Zemeckis is in the news again. This time assuring us the toons won't be CGI, and that it will not be set in modern times. So I guess that means they'll stick with the classic and timeless cartoon characters like Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies again. Sounds like good news to me.Read all about it at Joblo.com

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Sure they don’t have any back-up to their claims, but I know those NME guys and they take things seriously; in fact they own one of the most renowned music and media magazines among alternative audiences, and they usually don’t post false claims (whey they do, they promptly apologize).

You know me people. I’ve passed a lot of supposed Roger Rabbit news that are just rehashes of the old news we already know, while another ones are just plain dumb, silly and without any credible backup. My intention isn’t giving you false hopes or try to get more hits telling lies, which only will hurt the reputation I and Alex have gained thru all those years. In fact, after all those years of false starts and empty promises, I still fear we won’t gonna get a prequel, a sequel or even an affordable piece of memorabilia. Heck, I’m even sick of just staring at those Jessica Rabbit statues which cost an arm and a leg to get! Where’s Roger? Oh, yeah, I forgot: he’s not sexy or “hot”. He’s just a dumb old bunny that a lot of people consider obnoxious.

Okay, that was enough ranting for a while. My point is: let’s wait until these news get confirmed. If they are false, I’ll promptly apologize to all of you, expecting some of my credibility will be gone to the trash bin. But let’s hope they are true =)

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

More good news coming, fellas! NME Magazine catches on the sequel buzz, but also tell us that the original movie, the one which started it all, the one and only “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” is getting a 3D re-release in November 2013 (roughly more than a year ahead) to mark the celebrations of the movie’s 25th. Anniversary.

Aren’t you excited to see the funny bunny and his friends in 3D? Because sure I am! =D

Basically the article says Zemeckis has submitted a script to Disney executives, which are in a kind of settle-down moment after Alan Horn got the big chair at the Mouse House. He also says he’s feeling sad about Bob Hoskins’ retirement, but he still believes the sequel project it’s on the go despite the loss of “Eddie Valiant”.

Are you as optimistic as Robert Zemeckis? Do you think a sequel without Bob Hoskins could work? Would they resurrect Rick Flint, the detective from Roger Rabbit’s comic magazines? Are we there yet, actually?

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Jarrod from ImNotBad.com sent me several weeks ago this pic featuring a cute, one-of-a-kind Roger Rabbit doll sewn by a very talented person who used to work for Disney some time ago. She won’t be sewing another one, but you can get some inspiration from this cute doll and sew/cobble/commission your own.

It would be awesome if she decides to sew Jessica, Baby Herman or Benny the Car, but even if she doesn’t this incredible Roger doll is enough proof of her abilities and love for Roger =3

At the above link you will find a treasure chest of Roger Rabbit stuff. Storyboards, production sketches, animation cells, character designs, model sheets and lots of other behind the scenes art that even the most hardcore Roger fan like myself have never seen before.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Bob Hoskins, our Eddie Valiant in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” is retiring from acting duties. Sadly he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease last autumn, and as time passes and his disease keeps developing, he won’t be able to deliver any more of his quality performances on movies, TV or theater.

Parkinson’s Disease has also gotten other well-known celebrities like Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali. Hoskins will spend more time with his family, out of the spotlights, in a more private and less-demanding lifestyle.

Frankly I don’t have enough words to tell you how devastated I feel for these news. We were expecting him to reprise his role in the in-works sequel of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, but sadly this won’t be happening. But I fully understand why he took this painful decision, and I really wish him the best. In fact, I’m very thankful for all the great moments I’ve had with every one of his roles on movies (as Smee in “Hook”, the villainous Bart in “Unleashed”, Mr. Fezziwig in “A Christmas’ Carol” and even as Mario in the infamous “Super Mario Bros.”, among others).

Farewell Eddie Valiant, our grumpy old friend. Toontown will never be the same without you. You’ll live forever in our hearts.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

How’re you, fellas? If you’re still here, that means you’re hardcore fans of Roger Rabbit, his movie or his friends/foes. Maybe the last couple of years have been all slow with news related with the zany bunny or the much-rumored sequel/prequel/whatever they’re giving us, but today that’s gonna change for good!

We’ve got a very special exclusive for all of you! Don’t ask us how (since we still don’t know how it happened), but we’ve managed to get a very funny interview with the honey bunny, the long-eared buffoon, the A-list toon comedian, the… Well, you know who’re we talking about: the one and only Roger Rabbit! =D

Roger gave us the chance to ask him 10 questions about his personal life, upcoming projects and any other things we were curious about; since his time was a little limited (you know, being a rabbit celebrity ain’t easy) we couldn’t ask enough questions; besides at some point he started tickling us heavily and we had to surrender to him XD

Greetings, Roger! Know I've been delaying this interview a lot, but I wasn't sure about the kind of questions I should ask you... Then, I realized I can ask you anything, since you're Roger Rabbit! Well, let's get things started, shall we? I'll leave you all these questions, and I'll await for your replies. Take your time, no hurries here. Okay, here we go!

1) You are a well-known, very respected character in the animation industry... Did you ever imagine you would achieve this kind of success and the fame and stardom they bring with it?

Roger: Jeepers, I nevah thought I would get dis much suppoaht. I just thought da movie was gonna be a minor success, and ta my shock, it made ovah a billion dollahs worldwide! Den I was put in da pahk wit' my costars Mickey and my hero Donald Duck! It was an honor ta get my own section a da pahk and da ride Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. I thought people stopped caring aftah all dis time, but den I found you'ah blog!

2) Was there any moment in which you thought: "Jeepers, I'm actually not made for this... Maybe Id' be happier selling boxed cereal or Easter supplies"?

3) We know you and Jessica are one of the weirdest couples in entertainment industry, but somehow it works... She says "because he (you) makes me laugh", but there must be any other secret to keep your loving relationship so tightly tied. Would you mind to keep that secret with us, or is actually some kind of "top-secret"? Roger: If ya knew how many times I have been asked dis question....... but I'll answah it da way I always do. Jessica and I ahe da most interesting Toon couple because a one fact. I was weak, and a rabbit, and a just general crazy Toon, and Jessica was strong willed and just generally beautiful. One thing ya didn't know is dat I got her ta be da way ya know her now. Ovah da time until I asked her ta marry me, she ended up becomin' less like da secretary she was befoah we met, and moah like she is now. Den, when we got married, she became da way she is as da fans know her.

4) Since your movie and theatrical shorts were released, we haven't see much of you or your friends lately. Are still there working in the industry? Would they be available if some given day the directors decide it's time to "toon in" again? Roger: Oh, ta tell ya da truth, I have no idea how ta answer dis one. All I can say is dat if somebody wants me and my friends in Toontown ta do anothah thing togethah, then we will do da best we can ta make it da way we learned how ta do it in da 30's and 40's. Da way everybody loves us ta do it.

5) And that leads me to the following question: we know there are several failed attempts to bring you back from your semi-retirement. Do you think we could see you again in the silver screen in a near future?Roger: I have been hearin' about a sequal fah yeahs. It nevah happened. But I have been hearin' somethin' about me comin' back ta da Disney pahks, but I doubt it.

6) Do toons age? If yes, why? If not, why? Roger: We only age if people stop laughin'. Think about dis, Mickey is in his 80's yet he don't look a day oldah den he did in da 40's. Bugs is also in his 80's, yet he looks da same. I wish I could say da same about Slappy Squirrel.

7) I've heard you and Jessica are expecting a baby boy or girl... How would you name him/her? Do you think it will look entirely like you, like Jessica, or a mix between both of us? And how's Jessica taking this charming gift of love? (by the way Roger: GOOD JOB!) Roger: Oh, we've decided fah a boy Roger JR., and for a girl Loretta Ortensia. Da girl's middle name is aftah my hero Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's wife.

8) What do you think about Bugs Bunny almost being your dad in one of the failed "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" prequels? Have you asked uncle Thumper if Bugs is actually related to you?Roger: Yes. Bugs is my fathah, Thumpah is my uncle, but one thing dat wasn't mentioned is ALL Toon rabbits are related, by eithah marriage or blood. Buster and Babs recently got married, and Buster is my cousin.

9) How's your life right now? What are you doing for a living? Roger: My life is goin' really well actually. I woik fah Disney. I am da assistant ta Mickey Mouse himself.

10) Finally, is there something you wanna say to your fans around the world? Roger: Thanks fah supportin' me and my wife and all my friends fah yeahs! I love ya all!

*He gives Bunnyfriend a big cartoony kiss*

Well, there are all the questions. Hope I'm not bothering you too much, Rog. You know I love you dude, but I'm not the only one: several other people also love you and your crazy antics. Never change Roger! Greetings from Mexico!!

Monday, July 2, 2012

It came to my attention some sites were featuring this video as a legit trailer for a Blu-ray release of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in 2013:

Let’s see: this is a rather well-done trailer, with the requisite green rating screen from MPAA, appropiate lettering in the text bullets and a very nice edition.

BUT…

There’s not Touchstone or Disney logo at the beginning, there aren’t any credits or disclaimers at the end of the trailer, and it was uploaded to a regular YouTube account, instead of being promoted on Disney or Touchstone’s YouTube channels.

ALSO…

It mentions the Blu-ray will include remastered versions of the three theatrical animated shorts, which doesn’t make sense if they aren’t remastering the whole original movie, the big enchilada, the hot tamale as well. In fact, actual footage from the movie looks like straight from the DVD releases, in all its grainy low-res glory. Obviously, theatrical shorts are the best looking of all the bunch since they’re fully animated (except for the 1 minute or so ending on each one) and they were released after WFRR proved to be a huge success.

SO…

Keep your hopes low, buddies. As I can see, this is a well-done fan trailer, but nothing else. Don’t believe everything you see on Internet, and do a little more research before getting carried away, as a couple of websites I’ve caught red-handed.

If you have a little more info about this particular video, or if you think this is an actual proof we will be getting an official Blu-ray release of WFRR, you can leave a comment and we will discuss about this.

UPDATE!

I got some feedback from Matt (who manages Open Vault Disney) and he clarifies about the source of the vid and some of its features:

Juan Carlos Estrada, the trailer was included on the recent Blu-ray releases of 'Phenomenon' and 'Step-Up'. Also, there is no mention of restored trailers but rather the three theatrically released shorts. The reason it's from a personal account is due to it being ripped from the actual blu-ray. Disney is also notorious for using old transfers for new releases (case and point, 'Alice in Wonderland 60th Anniversary Edition', which used the Masterpiece Edition transfer for it's trailer,as well as countless other Disney releases over the last decade). I assure you that Open Vault Disney does check on it's news stories, and that as a former Newspaper writer I'm well aware of the process. Once Disney does do a press release, which we expect will come sometime in the second quarter, we'll be sure to include it.~Matt

As I don’t own those Blu-ray releases, and I’m still skeptical about the theatrical shorts being restored instead of the main movie, I can’t confirm or deny his statement. Also, how could Disney release a trailer about an upcoming release without giving it a proper press coverage? I’m still open to a friendly discussion about this matter.

UPDATE 2!

As more and more sites pick this video for their articles, it seems the news about the Blu-ray release of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” are legit! You gotta understand I was quite doubtful of those claims since, as a hardcore Roger Rabbit fan, I’ve been deceived a lot of times with empty promises and fake news. This time news are apparently real, so let’s wait for the newest release of Roger’s movie! =3

Friday, June 15, 2012

Usually at eBay you can find the most common Roger Rabbit collectibles, and once in a while there appears some of the rarest items related to the zany rabbit.

But I’ve never seen nothing as cute and awesome as this:

According to the description of this plushie, his height is about 15 inches and it’s fully poseable (arms, legs, ears and hands). It’s an item from Tokyo Disneyland and it looks like new, and if you ask me is the most faithful rendition of Roger Rabbit in a plushie I’ve ever seen =)

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Jarrod from ImNotBad.com sent us some weeks ago those neat pictures, depicting rare RR artwork that was probably used in promotional material for Disneyland’s and WDW events. At least the first one was actually used for Roger’s first Christmas celebration at Disneyland, and the second one appears on a brochure about WDW’s 20th anniversary (this illustration was placed over a picture of Epcot’s Spaceship Earth). All pieces were sold back in 2003 on Disney Auctions. So here they are:

My personal favorites are #2 and #3, but all of them are quite cool =)

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Recently at Disneyland was celebrated the 20th. Anniversary of Fantasmic, in an event exclusive to annual passholders. As you might know, Fantasmic is a very innovative water, music and fireworks show which is conducted by Mickey Mouse. It’s one of Disney Parks’ favorite shows and it has evolved thru all those years. It features several well-known characters from the Disney universe and at some point Roger Rabbit was featured among the cast, but as his popularity waned away he was pulled out from the cast.

So, it was truly a surprise to the attendants of this particular event when in the Grand Finale a Roger Rabbit costumed character appeared among his Disney buddies again!!

Here are some pictures taken by Flickr user jaysquivel, who gave us permission to use them:

There’s also a neat video featuring stills from the event and the Grand Finale, from YouTube user TheCrushinDarkness:

Although it was for some brief moments, it’s great to see Roger again at Disneyland =D

Sunday, April 22, 2012

If you look into the picture, among the load of alternate versions of Darkwing Duck (in what seems to be a parody of “Crisis on Infinite Earths”) you can spot a Roger Rabbit-looking Darkwing Duck wielding nothing less than the singing sword! Then, you can catch some other references to various movies, cartoons or comics which are enough to keep you busy for a while.

I found this interesting vignette on Captain Comics’ forum, specifically on this discussion. Even you can find another extract from the same comic issue, in which you can spot several more parodies of well-known characters. Worth the read!

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Some years ago I’ve found someoldvideos about a certain Montreal collector who seems to own almost every single piece of merchandising related to "Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, which includes some rare foreign items, lots of magazines and related articles in them, and of course some exclusive collectibles and household items which I didn’t know that existed.

The last thing I knew was that he was trying to sell his entire collection (not parts of it: the whole enchilada or nothing), and it seems he’s going serious about it again. Just look at all those items in the video above --of course, if you can: it is a very quick sneak peek of this guy’s awesome collection and if you blink you can miss some interesting stuff.

Maybe we can’t be able to buy all that Roger-Rabbitness, but watching it doesn’t hurt either ;)

Monday, January 30, 2012

Jarrod (webmaster of ImNotBad.com) was kind enough to let me share with you those amazing scans from the book of “Disney on Ice”, an ice-skating show that toured America around 1990 in which Roger Rabbit and the characters from “Duck Tales”, “Rescue Rangers” and other Disney cartoons were featured.

You’ll find that some of the official art from the movie was recycled, but there are also some neat drawings and pictures that give you a slight glimpse of the costumed characters and sets from the wandering show.

Click in each thumbnail to open the full-sized images:

Sure being a kid in the late 80’s / early 90’s was totally radical! =D

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Disney revealed in their Vinylmation Official Facebook page a glimpse of an upcoming Roger Rabbit figure. Yes, you’re reading right fellas: Roger Rabbit is back –at least, in the form of a cute Vinylmation figure!!

Here it is, in all his mouse-shaped glory:

Obviously his ears look quite small (ain’t gonna fit those huge ears in that mousey ears), his facial expression is somewhat awkward and somehow he ended with 4 toes in each foot when he only had three… But hey! He looks adorable and I want one RITE NAO.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Yup, we’ve just had our 3rd. Anniversary last friday! I’m a little late, but better late than never, huh-huh!!

Every anniversary I write some words thanking for your support in good times and also through bad times, but this time I won’t write an incredibly long, boring and redundant textwall. It’s time to celebrate!!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Old news, but it's first time I have heard of this so I figure I might as well post it to fill in those who haven't heard of it.Earlier last year, in October actress Paula Patton reported on her site that she was going to play a character named "Witch Boom" in Roger Rabbit 2. Possibly a relative of or character similar to Judge Doom judging from the name.This was before it was reported the sequel was getting stalled so I'm not sure if it's still happening.Thanks to commenter Philip for letting us know.